MANAMA: Kimi Antonelli led George Russell in a Mercedes one-two as Formula One concluded its first pre-season test in Bahrain on Friday, though the team continued to play down expectations ahead of the new season.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had set the tone earlier in the week by calling Red Bull the benchmark, a view echoed by Russell, who suggested the pairing of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar enjoyed a “pretty scary” advantage.
Red Bull, however, played down their own prospects as Formula One prepares for a new engine era accompanied by major chassis changes.“Just wait until Melbourne and see how much power they suddenly find.
I already know that right now,” Verstappen told reporters on Thursday.Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache said Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren appeared to be ahead, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said both Mercedes and Red Bull looked strong.
“I think Red Bull showed a little bit more than Mercedes and they’ve been very impressive. I think Mercedes is hiding a massive amount, and only time will tell how much they’ve been hiding,” said the Monegasque.
Russell drove in the first half of Friday’s session before handing over to Antonelli, who set the fastest lap of the day in one minute 33.669 seconds. Russell’s best time was 1:33.918.Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was third quickest after completing 150 laps, stopping on track at the end of the session in what appeared to be a deliberate run-out of fuel.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri logged 161 laps — nearly three race distances of the Sakhir circuit — and finished fourth fastest, with Verstappen fifth and Hadjar sixth.
